Residents of a Ruiru sub-county village have protested against the subdivision of an eight-acre plot set aside for social amenities, saying the move is a scheme by leaders to benefit themselves.
The members of Githunguri Ranching Company in Mijikenda area said some company officials are pushing for the subdivision without prior knowledge or consent of the stakeholders.
They said if the land is well utilised, it would benefit over 4,000 residents and according to George Ndung'u, a former councillor, the officials have sold the land that was set aside for a public market and cemetery. He claimed that the prime land is being sold for Sh30 million.
The land has a title deed held by Pefa church, leading to the question of the basis of the sub-division.
“There are no schools and health facilities in this area and the officials want to take the only piece of land that can be used to build these vital social amenities,” he added.
Former Ruiru deputy mayor, Peter Mwaura, said that only the courts and the National Land Commission are allowed to handle or make any changes on land matters.
It took the intervention of the police to calm the situation. They accused the police of complicity in the alleged land grabbing and threatened to lynch the team that had camped in the land to subdivide it.
The area chief, Josses Ntuiga, asked the residents to take their complaints to the area county commissioner.
The protest lasted for about seven hours.